Sep 12-16 No More Desert

Having satisfied my passion for apocalyptic wastelands, Monday we moved on towards southwestern Oregon and its pine forests and lakes. After a 7-hour drive mostly across rolling (but otherwise featureless and uninhabited) scrub and grass land occasionally interrupted by bluffs and buttes, we overnighted near Klamath Falls OR before heading into higher country the next day.

At mid-day, Tuesday we arrived at 6,000 elevation Fourmile Lake campground which was officially closed for the season but was still open if you didn't need any services.  After sticking our noses out of the Funmobile and finding it was only 50 degrees at noon, (meaning it would be about 20 Deg colder by next morning)  we decided to just do an afternoon hike and head for lower elevations for that night.  (In hindsight a good decision since it bottomed out in the low 40's even at the lower camp site.)

So we had a nice tree-y hike for a change up to Badger Lake.

Wednesday we headed for Crater Lake, a stunningly beautiful National Park which is essentially a water-filled caldera from a dormant volcano.  Being fed solely by the 40 foot annual snowfall the 6 mile wide, 2,000 foot deep lake is an intense, almost indigo, blue and crystal clear.

We'd like a table with a view please.

Moving back down to lower levels didn't help us that night when the temperatures dropped to about 34 degrees.  With the "extreme" fire danger, the little campfire didn't do much to warm things up, but was psychologically pleasing anyway.

Indian builds small fire, huddles close stays warm.
White man builds big fire, stands back, stays warm (gathering wood.)
{Jessa Slade 2016}

Thursday was our last day of the family camping part of this trip so we picked a short but promising trail along Lemollo Creek  It turned out to have all the requisites of an exceptional hike with a cascading stream, lots of 3-5 foot diameter old-growth trees and finishing up with a 100' waterfall.

So to sum up this part of the trip, it was a nostalgic 7-day trip reminiscent of the days when we lived out here and did family vacations throughout the area.  Everyone is a (little bit) older, with not quite the endurance, but still with the desire to experience the outdoors in whatever form it is presented to us.

Good night from Portland, and thanks to Jess and Scott for hosting us and Blaine for making the family experience more complete.

Brad and Valerie.

Even MORE Desert Days 8 - ?

Well, it was a bit more remote than I expected with no reliable data connection for the last 6 days.  We're now in relative civilization, so it's catch-up time.

On Friday the 8th, we drove about 30 miles into the South Steens Mountains Campground to set up for the expected arrival of Jess, Blaine and Scott late that afternoon.

 On arrival at the CG, we were greeted by the sounds of a mule being attacked by a cougar (or that's what it sounded like anyway), at the nearby equestrian CG.  Turns out, (as it recurred numerous times during the evening), that is just the sound mules make when they are hungry, bored, or maybe even actually being eaten by a cougar.

Anyway, we did all connect up that evening, traded stories of our travels, and went to bed as the temperatures dropped into the high 30's.  (Glad Val and I don't sleep in tents anymore!!)

Up the next morning for what was promised to be about a 6 mile easy uphill into Big Indian Canyon.  No special destination or dramatic scenery, just miles of pinion/juniper forest with a nice stream and expansive views of the surrounding countryside.

Not a Pokemon to be found!

It was a nice hike, but contrary to Jessica's advertised description, it was actually 8.5 miles with 6 wet-foot stream crossings and in spite of the previous nights almost freezing temps, it reached the upper 80's by mid aftrernoon.  A nice endurance test for their ageing parents.

But revenge is sweet as Val and I were again warm and cozy in spite of the again near freezing night temps.

Another nice (but a lot shorter) the next day.  This time to a deserted ranch followed by a stream-side lunch, playing in hte puddles and taking a nap.

This section of the trip would not be complete without cudo's to our SUPURB chef, Scott who in spite of being surrounded by 3 women and their father/husband, consistently provided us with professionally prepared gumbo, salmon chowder, salads daily lunch sandwiches and "lawn soup", not to mention his thoughtful insights to a wide variety of subjects.  Unfortunately he had to leave us the next morning to return to work in Portland.  (Somebody has to pay into Social Security to support us.)

Oh, and an honorable mention to the trooper, Taluhla.  She's as old as me and whined a lot less on the 8-mile march.

On Monday the 11th, Jess and Blaine stuffed themselves and their belongings into the Funmobile and after being trained in the Rules of the Road  (1. Don't pile stuff in hte driver's seat, 2. Don't pile onything on the floor behind the driver's seat where I step to get out of the driver's seat and 3. DON'T break my Keurig) we headed west across a wide expanse of really deserted real estate destined for greener mountains.

Goodby from the Steens

Brad, Val, Jess, Blaine and Scott (and Talulah).

More Desert - Days 5,6 and 7

This time the tardiness wasn't my fault.  West Utah and north Nevada are definitely NOT in the 21st (or even the 20th) century when it comes to connectivity.

We left Springville UT and headed across the Great Salt Lake on I-80.  Don't generally like Interstates, but everything to the north was the lake and everything to the south was a testing site for anthrax, tularemia, chlorine, Q-fever, sarin, tabin, VX, and the resulting dead sheep.




After that, it was the Bonneville Salt Flats which woulda made a nice beach except for no water.

So I just imagined my own (much more subdued) version of Burning Man.

Left western Utah and crossed into east Nevada, (which pretty much looks like west Utah).  But we did locate a nice oasis in the mountains south of Wells Nevada called Angels Lake where we spent the night.

VERY EARLY the next morning.

Had a day to kill so we explored a bit further south in this mountain range and found Lamoille Canyon.

That's the Funmobile down at the bottom.

Camped in this area for the night and then more of I-80 to Winnemucca NV where we cut north for Oregon.  Fortunately we gassed up as the first sign leaving Wnnemucca was "Next Gas 176 Miles"  Our cruising range is about 420 miles so we were good.

Turns out there is gas in Fields OR (121 miles) which was about the only habitation from Winnemucca to Frenchglen Oregon, our destination for the night.

Best (if only) burger, fries and shakes for 200 miles.
(Courtesy of Jessica Davidson advice)

As a side note, I'm always on the lookout for lost cemeteries in desolate locations so I can post the information on the genealogy web sites I frequent.  This one I spotted on an old map an it was right where it was supposed to be .  Maybe Mr "Howard's" descendants may be looking for him.

We're tucked in at Steens Mountain RV Campground for the night with hot showers and a laundry.  Tomorrow we meet Jess, Scott, Blaine and (and Talulah) at a remote campground about 30 miles up in the Steens Mountains.  Not likely to have a connection for a few days so...

Good night from southeastern Oregon.

Brad And Val

Days 3 and 4 Colorado and Utah

Wow.  Only 4 days on the road and I'm already 2 days behind.  Left Sterling behind and headed for Leadville Colorado.  Just wanted a little side-trip to get off the interstate for a while.  Was disappointed in Leadville as it was pretty much turned into a T-shirt and trinket trap.

Got a campsite (the last one available on a mid-Labor day weekend) and did a little walk around Turquoise Lake.

 Got caught in a light rain shower but were dressed for it.

Short side note  -  It seems the politicians in their infinite wisdom (or lack there-of) passed a law allowing BLM and the Forest Service to lease public lands to private concessionaires to run existing and new campgrounds.  They are permitted to charge camping fees (which I'm OK with since they do maintain the sites) but also to charge daily access fees just to enter the areas they have leased.

Now, if I was paying the Forest Service, I'd do it without complaint, but these concessionaires are charging me just to enter land I, (as a member of the public), ALREADY OWN even if I don't use their facilities.

I have decided therefore that I will use my land, but will not pay any self administered access fees unless directly confronted.  (I also did a little homework and found that concessionaires have no statutory ability to enforce the fees, so I will simply discard any "tickets" I get.)

So anyway we arose next morning to a crispy 39 F, followed by a string of mishaps (karma) including spilling all the oil off the top of a new jar of "natural" peanut butter, having the toaster devour my toast, setting off the fire alarm, and losing all power, (before I got my coffee made) and all in a matter of less than a minute.

The good news being that the location we chose for breakfast was superb.

So we pushed on through more great Colorado mountain scenery and broke out into the SE Utah desert, (which I, among not too many others, consider equally beautiful).

Last, (but far from least), we joined about 10,000 other people stuck in a 17 mile, walking pace, Labor Day eve, traffic jam crossing the mountain road going from Price to Salt Lake City.

Settled in for the night in Springville UT for a shower before heading into Nevada tomorrow.

Goodnight from Springville.

Brad and Val

Day 2 Quilts,Quilts and More Quilts

Defying all reason, in Lincoln Nebraska there is a 3-story $19 million building whose sole purpose is to study, preserve, archive and display some 6,000 quilts and quilt-like art gathered from all over the world.  (And of course Valerie found it.)

So anyway, the first part of the day was spent wandering the halls of this actually pretty interesting collection.  (I will deny ever saying that to my more "manly" type friends and acquaintances.)

First stop - Quilts of Western China Indigenous Folks

Then Quilts as Pure Art

Small "Quilts" Memorializing The 9-11 Fallen

A Workshop (Sweatshop?)

Run AWAY!

Again skipping over the next 400 miles of Nebraska we enter eastern Colorado, which other than being "Colorado" and not Nebraska, doesn't have a lot going for it either. It's amazing what one may endure in search of some good scenery.

Isn't that right overhead where we're stopping tonight??

A short anecdote re RV'ing around America.  You sometimes need to put all pretenses aside.  While the National Parks and Forests provide some striking settings for your expansive RV site, while you watch the sun rise and/or set over the desert, see wildlife small and large steel your dinner, and smell the evergreens and forest meadows.......  Sterling Colorado RV campgrounds DO NOT.  The small, privately owned, just off the interstate, migrant tourist sites you need to use as you cross the central US are often a bit trashy, with the sights tending more towards the backside of your neighbors RV (if you're lucky), and the smells more of the livestock variety.

The restrooms and showers can be an adventure in their own right.  i.e. of tonight's showers, the first had no faucet handles, another had only one (cold of course), but the 3rd was "jussssst rightttt".

But that's OK 'cause there's a mountain just over the horizon.

Good night from Sterling Colorado

Brad and Val

Day 1 Lincoln

OK, this is going to be short.  Left six minutes late at 9:06 am.  (Had to go back in the house for coffee.)  Took the scenic route west to Nebraska (I-80).  Clear skies, moderate temps, and absolutely STUNNING cornfields.

I'll skip over the next 400 miles of exquisite scenery and get to the good stuff.  First stop the Great Wall of China.

Bet you didn't know it stretched that far.

Followed by the massive Tombs of Walmart.

Too Spooky to actually enter.

OK, that's it for Day 1.

Tomorrow - The International Quilt Museum and a couple of hundred more miles of central Nebraska I-80 to Ogallala..

Skip and Roberta...  Eat your hearts out.  But don't worry, I'm sure Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia will be nice too.

Good night from America's Heartland (or is it gall bladder?).

Brad & Val

Never Give Up

After the disastrous blog attempts for the Scotland trip, it's tempting to just say the heck with it. But.... since I've given myself free license on the blog to be politically incorrect, grammatically incorrect, inaccurate, and other fun things, it seems like a good way to fill gaps in time as we wander aimlessly about the wastelands of the western United States.

So, we'll give it another shot.

This trip is not particularly adventurous, (or at least it's not planned to be that way).  Generally, we leave later this week with the first exciting stop being the International Quilt Study and Museum in Lincoln Nebraska, (I describe it as "exciting", as after all, it is in Lincoln NB and everything is relative).

From there, it's to Ogallala NB (not near as exciting). Leadville CO (just because I've never been there before), through Salt Lake City and northern Nevada (no other way to get to where we're going), and finally coming to rest in the Steens Mountain Wilderness Area in southeast Oregon where we link up with Jess, Scott and Blaine (and Talulah) for a week of camping and hiking.

I was thinking of leaving a bit earlier for a stop over at Burning Man which is underway as we speak and only slightly off-route...

...but Val kinda' put the ka'baash on that idea.

So anyway, after the camping trip we run part way down the west coast then over to the east slope of the Sierra Nevadas, down to Death Valley and Grand Canyon (North Rim), and the general Southwest.

The tentative plan looks sorta like:

We'll see what actually happens.  (But for sure, Burning Man will NOT get added to the agenda.  Sigh.)

Next Post probably about 3 Sep.

Brad & Val

Boo Hoo

Due to technical difficulties, the blog is suspended for the rest of this trip.

Crunch Time

I've decided that I'm basically obsessive-compulsive when it comes to travelling and that maybe the next trip should just be a professionally managed tour somewhere.  I've spent an absurd number of hours planning a route, things to see, trails to hike and a dozen or so overnight accommodations.

The itinerary folder is over an inch thick

I've lost, and then found, an alarming number of "essential" gadgets, meds, glasses, credit cards, phones, hiking gear, cameras, etc. to go to a country at least as civilized, (and arguably more so, elections not-with-standing), than our own.

So at this point I'm down to the "OK what have I forgot?" point.  Whatever it is, it better be small. Sheesss.... You'd think we we were going to retrace the exploits of Stanley and Livingston in Tajikistan, (or wherever).

(Oh Oh - I almost forgot my coffee travel mug!!)

Now Val on the other hand is a "just cast your fate to the winds" kinda' person and perfectly happy with what/where-ever is in front of here as long as she's on the move.  She also has the philosophy of just take an empty suitcase and fill it up as you go along.

Anyway, we've got a 10 pm flight tomorrow so check-in shouldn't be a problem.  We'll add to the blog as we go, but typing from a cell phone or tablet is NOT my strong point so we'll see how it goes.

More in a day or two.

From Downers Grove

Brad and Val